Star Wars games of all genres, both old and new, are almost always top-notch uses of the legendary IP and flat-out fun regardless of setting. Because of the popularity of Star Wars as a whole and the stellar reputation of classic games like Knights of the Old Republic, Force Unleashed, and Battlefront, publisher EA has been under serious scrutiny with the launch of each and every Star Wars title in recent years. Unfortunately, EA’s attempts to recover from controversies around 2017’s Battlefront 2 may be putting popular new Star Wars games like Squadrons in danger.
Star Wars: Squadrons has proven extremely popular, helping breathe new life into the space combat genre and offering excellent gameplay at a competitive price. Because of that low price, the campaign is on the ‘short but sweet’ side, and multiplayer is the main focus. Even so, with only four starships for each side, relatively limited customization options, and just two game modes, many fans want more content just a few short weeks after launch. EA’s checkered past with multiplayer Star Wars games may hamstring additional content for Squadrons, though.
EA had long been known for unsavory practices regarding DLC, loot boxes, and pay-to-win content up until the controversy surrounding the infamous publisher’s treatment of Battlefront 2. The outrage over that game marked a turning point for EA, and likely the entire games industry.
After uproarious complaints about the thousands of hours it would take to unlock characters like Darth Vader and the exorbitant sums needed to gamble on loot boxes to speed up the process, EA posted a statement defending their microtransaction practices. That statement became the most downvoted post on Reddit in history by a staggering margin, player complaints reached an all-time high, political attention was drawn to the legal implications of lootbox gambling, and EA scrambled to change its strategies.
Since then, EA has removed all paid loot boxes from Battlefront 2. It has avoided adding microtransactions to other franchises like Battlefield in an attempt to regain goodwill, and Star Wars games like Jedi: Fallen Order were handled with care. So far, these tactics have worked. When EA announced the final update to Battlefront 2, over 50,000 players signed a petition to keep the game alive. Fallen Order was a critical success, and Star Wars: Squadrons launched with no microtransactions to popular acclaim.
It might be time that EA takes some tentative steps back towards including paid content in their games, though. As much as players often bemoan the addition of battlepasses and overbearing microtransactions, there is a fine line for developers to walk that helps keep multiplayer games alive. Paid cosmetics, light but rewarding battle passes and challenges, and other microtransactions that avoid pay-to-win mechanics or completely unattainable rewards are often vital to maintaining a player base and supporting continued content updates.
Star Wars: Squadrons has an active community that wants more maps, more gamemodes, the addition of the B-Wing and TIE Defender, new characters, more cosmetics, more ship modifications, and even story expansions. However, as of yet, there are no plans to add any such content, which spells a slow and steady death for Squadrons‘ community. Just a few paid cosmetics and a battle pass could easily support the live events and content drops that it takes to keep other multiplayer games like Call of Duty, Fortnite, Apex Legends, Fall Guys, and countless others vibrant and active.
EA has re-gained quite a lot of respect for its commitment to more consumer-friendly practices, but it will soon need to learn how to toe the line. There is a sweet spot that makes it financially viable to continually support games without squeezing the player base for as much cash as possible. The fact is, most players don’t abhor microtransactions per se, it is the predatory use of microtransactions that landed EA in hot water to begin with. When players can choose to buy a nice skin or charm every once in a while to keep their favorite games fresh, not many people really complain.
Star Wars: Squadrons certainly deserves some continued support. Right now, there is no other game quite like it, and it has brought back a niche genre that has long been relegated to the nostalgic 1990s memories of X-Wing vs. TIE Fighter fans. With a big fanbase eating up its multiplayer gameplay, huge numbers of people watching Squadrons streams, and support for every control scheme from console gamepads to full VR flight rigs, Squadrons has the potential to live on for a long time. However, without a steady trickle of new content, it won’t be able to compete with other multiplayer games, and without microtransactions its unlikely that fledgling developer EA Motive could keep committing resources to the game.
It’s not as if leaving microtransactions out of Squadrons would make it a total failure. The game is fun, affordable, and represents a bright future for EA Motive as the game’s success has paved the road for the studio to continue working on more ambitious projects. Future Battlefront games may even borrow heavily from Squadrons‘ flight mechanics, considering that Squadrons used the same engine as Battlefront 2. It is important to note though that with this game, fans have gone from hating on EA for filling games with paid content to wishing that the publisher would assist developers in adding more cosmetics and ships.
Star Wars: Squadrons is available now on PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
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